Me practicing with my Joe Strain 4' "Aussie Whips"

[DarenHenryW]

Here's a couple of youtube videos of me practicing my two handed stuff.

Any pointers?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2wfjJx-Idk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGhilR_P-9o

Enjoy!

DHW

UPDATE!!!!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oReBJdfuu6Q

March 5 2014
DHW

[Indiana County Jr.]

Looking good Daren!

Man, you have way too much money!!!!

Crack On!
Allen

[DarenHenryW]

Looking good Daren!

Man, you have way too much money!!!!

Crack On!
Allen

I have way too much money? Well, I SPEND way too much money. I don't know if I HAVE way too much money. I don't think I MAKE way too much money

Just so everyone knows, I teach high school in the SF Bay Area, and I own a house. But somehow, as I'm still single (though recently engaged) I've managed to have a fair of amount of play money to buy fun things with. In addition to being a serious gearhead like so many of you out there, I am also a semi-professional musician. I teach drum lessons and play in a couple of bands and I own SEVEN drumsets. But I'm looking to sell one to help pay for the engagement ring I just bought for my fiancee, and I'm selling some of my extraneous Indy gear as well.

But the bottom line is, the well is about to run dry on all of my "Indy" spending. Okay, most of it. That is, as soon as I can square away a couple of upcoming purchases, I'm gonna give it a rest. But that's the problem, I really am some sort of addict because I'm always finding a reason why I need some other piece of gear.

But then, I'm able to rationalize it because I actually have been able to wrangle this whole costume/whip-cracking thing into an employment opportunity. I've been hired and am training to work kids' parties. Most of the time I probably won't even be dressed as Indy (though when I do, I will get to do whip stuff and play "adventure" games); most of the time I will be dressed as some sort of cowboy, possible a pirate, and I'm expected to perform simple magic tricks, play games, tell stories, paint faces, and make balloon animals. And how did I get this gig? Because I have an excellent Indy outfit and I'm pretty good with a whip.

So do I have a lot of money? No. I actually have a lot of credit card debt and it's 50% because of my Indy gear addiction. But, with a bit of will-power I know I can tone it down (and I really do have EVERYTHING I need), and a bit of hard work I know I can make all of this (or some of it) actually pay off.

I'm proud to say that the last Penman hat I bought was paid for with money I earned doing an "Indy" appearance at a corporate event. I made $300! Hopefully a few more of those gigs over the course of a year and some kids' parties and I'll be able to pay for what I have and start rationalizing (which means financing) any future purchases of whips, hats, boots, etc.)

But really, here's what I still want:

1. A really GOOD Raiders hero hat, which I'm getting from John Penman
2. An SOC hat, this one from Fedoraiders (I think between these, I'll have the Raiders hat covered, which I feel my current HJ isn't doing very well.)
3. Another pair of Aldens (those 403's really look SA and cool to me, unlike my 405's which have that reddish color, which bothers me)

After that, my Indy/Raiders get up is COMPLETE! I have awesome whips, an excellent Nowak jacket, excellent shirt/pants, an authentic and accurate MKVII, good holsters, belts, whip-holders. I just want a better looking pair of boots, and the hat(s) needs to be as SA as possible.

Oh sure, I'm gonna buy whips from time to time (NOT "SA" Indy ones, though, since I have about 5!), and I'd like to get more hats from John (NOT Indy hats), and I really do want to get a couple of suits from Magnoli (YES, Indy suits), and one day I'll get the Wyoming cardigan and scarf to have a MOTB outfit, and eventually I'll get a pair of Dr. Jones spectacles, etc. . . .

But for right now, I just want these two hats and that pair of boots. Even though, yes I have a pair of Aldens, and yes I have a couple of Indy hats. But as I told my roommates, I've come THIS far . . . I can't stop until I'm properly satisfied.

But will I ever be satisfied? . . . Well, that's the tough question, isn't it?

What do you fellas think? What satisfies you?

DHW

[WhipDude]

I will say that you need to work on combo's mainly because it was mostly random. If you are looking for tips on the cracking in general, it was all good.

I know you may not have been doing so, but no need to justify to everyone on COW your spending. I'm sure there is worse around here. As a quick answer without going too deep, I started years ago with this stuff and wanted it all. I have sold most of my stuff now expect a jacket and my whips. At first, I think most people want it all but as time goes on you begin to realize what you truly are interested in and not. I've found the most enjoyment out of the whips for numerous reasons.

[DarenHenryW]

I will say that you need to work on combo's mainly because it was mostly random. If you are looking for tips on the cracking in general, it was all good.

I know you may not have been doing so, but no need to justify to everyone on COW your spending. I'm sure there is worse around here. As a quick answer without going too deep, I started years ago with this stuff and wanted it all. I have sold most of my stuff now expect a jacket and my whips. At first, I think most people want it all but as time goes on you begin to realize what you truly are interested in and not. I've found the most enjoyment out of the whips for numerous reasons.

Thanks, whipdude!

I appreciate the compliments on my "general cracking". I feel pretty good about it. But yeah, I'm trying to figure out how to develop combos and routines.

DHW

[BullWhipBorton]

We probably all tend to spend more then we should on our toys from time to time but if something’s important to you and you enjoy it, more power too you as long as it’s not hurting anyone else.

Daren, A lot of what your doing now is a good start. I would strongly advise safety glasses though. Even though you’re a confident whip handler, that can act against you and weird things can & do happen when your practicing with two whips at once. I also would suggest going slow at first because learning to start doing two-handed handed routines can be a lot like trying to pat your head and rub your stomach at the same time.

For most people it takes a lot of discipline and concentration in order to get good at dual handed whip cracking. Getting one whip going in one direction while the other whip is going in a whole other direction takes a lot of focus while your developing that muscle memory so start off simple Daren and don’t try to overcomplicate things.

A few tips I can suggest for multiple combinations and routines… First, It looks like your already doing some basic timing changes, i.e cracking whips together at the same time, then cracking one whip just a split second after the other to get a staggered effect to your cracks. So also try working on cracking the whips at the same time but in opposite directions for example when doing simple combinations like fast figure 8s. Practice making one whip crack behind you while the other is cracking in front of you.

As you get more confident practice performing one crack in one hand while performing a different crack in the other. For example work on volleys in one hand while practicing a continual cattleman’s crack in the other, then switch every so often so your working both hands. As you get better your timing will improve, and it will come more naturally to you. Then add more crackes like figure 8s, fast figure 8s and start to add in changes in your timing.

If your not doing so already, I’d recommend using polypropylene poppers on your matched pair rather then nylon, polypropylene poppers are typically stiffer and are less likely to tangle when the whips brush or touch in the air.

While a lot of what you learned from working with Anthony De Longis can be applied, at the same time a lot of what Anthony talks about starts to goes out the window when you begin to get into performing more intricate style two handed routines. You might want to pick up Mike Murphy’s DVD Fundamental Whip Cracking Techniques, if you haven’t already. That’s going to be a great entry into two-handed whip cracking and it’s going to show you good solids techniques designed to for you to get favorable results from the get go. That will also help explain and shoe the differences in timing like cracking staggered and balanced and offset as well as showcase some new cracks and combinations you may not be too familiar with just yet that you can work on.

Other then that Practice, practice and practice some more!

Dan

[DarenHenryW]

Wow, Dan! Thank you so much for all the compliments and advice. I really appreciate you taking the time to have a look at what I'm doing and helping me out. I will definitely look into Mike Murphy's video. I think that would be a great place to start.

I just recently got these whips from Joe Strain. I've only had them since around the beginning of November, so all of this two handed stuff is pretty new to me.

But yes, I will begin by working on slowing down and doing two opposite or unique cracks at the same time, etc. For now, I'm just trying to get a feel for what is already coming naturally, but what I definitely need is a regiment of techniques that I can begin slowly and build to speed over time.

Thanks again, Dan!

You the man!

Daren

PS

And yes, I AM using polypropylene!

DHW

[WhipDude]

I'd second everything Dan said. I thought you meant technique which is why I said you were doing good. If you mean getting into the world of 2 handed, then I'll hop in also.

Go with the Murphy video. I owned it and he goes nice and slow. He's on a stage so you can see everything real well. Other videos will just confuse you most likely. Don't hesitate to ask about advancing your technique in the future once you've got down Murphy's 1st video. I have all his other dvd's and they build off his first very well.
http://www.westernstageprops.com/miva/m ... ode=WHPVID Western Stage Props is easy to deal with and has it at a reasonable price for you. WSP also has Whip Cracking Made Easy Part 2. I'd stay clear of it. While it has good pointers it has very little 2 handed routines for you to work on. Within a couple practice sessions the DVD will be obsolete but not with Murphy's.

While you do need glasses, be sure to keep the hat on also. Besides looking great in your fedora, when I do double handed routines, I put on protection for my head. You are using 4 footers to boot. Very very fast whips for a beginner at 2 handed routines. I use 5 footers for routines and they are fast as it is. Even your more advanced users, like Ben Hughes, says that he has to get the feel of 4 footers before he can start doing some of his wicked cool routines. So be sure to take it slow.

[Indiana County Jr.]

I know you may not have been doing so, but no need to justify to everyone on COW your spending. I'm sure there is worse around here. As a quick answer without going too deep, I started years ago with this stuff and wanted it all. I have sold most of my stuff now expect a jacket and my whips. At first, I think most people want it all but as time goes on you begin to realize what you truly are interested in and not. I've found the most enjoyment out of the whips for numerous reasons.

Agreed,
After a while, you do settle down on what you get the most out of. I think it is fantastic that you have them and there is definately no need to justify anything. My mainstay are whips as well. Fortuantely for me, I have a few hobbies, or I just might end up having a bigger collection than Adam Winrich!

Crack On!
Allen

[DarenHenryW]

While you do need glasses, be sure to keep the hat on also. Besides looking great in your fedora, when I do double handed routines, I put on protection for my head. You are using 4 footers to boot. Very very fast whips for a beginner at 2 handed routines. I use 5 footers for routines and they are fast as it is. Even your more advanced users, like Ben Hughes, says that he has to get the feel of 4 footers before he can start doing some of his wicked cool routines. So be sure to take it slow.[/quote]


Thanks! Yeah, I should put the glasses on and keep on the hat for sure. I love my 4 footers, and I'm sure I'll "grow into them", but I realize now that I should be learning on 5 or 6 footers. Rhett Kelley is going to make me a pair of 5 footers in a few months, and next year I'm gonna step up for Joe Strain to make me a pair of 6 footers. I also want to get a pair of matched Nylon Hybrids from Lauren. I wanted the 4 footers to be able to crack lightly and quickly and eventually I want to build a very rhythmic reportoire, but if I want to learn the basics of two-handed stuff, I'm definitely gonna need some slighly longer whips.

I will say this about Joe's whips: though they are light and fast, they actually feel less dangerous because they crack rather effortlessly (not to mention I'm a lot better at this than I was a year ago). I don't feel like I have to move them at very rapid speeds to get them flowing out and cracking. But accidents do happen! So far, I've been lucky I suppose.

Thanks for all the tips, everyone!

DHW